Privacy Policy
PC Vitamins is committed to protecting your personal information. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and how we keep it safe — in full compliance with POPIA.
Who We Are
PC Vitamins is a South African business operating at Shop U169, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Bradford Road, Bedfordview, Germiston, Gauteng. We are the Responsible Party for the personal information we collect, as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by PC Vitamins through:
- In-store interactions (repair drop-offs, purchases, trade-ins)
- Our website and online store at pcvitamins.store
- WhatsApp, email, and social media communications
- The TechPartner Programme and HaaS agreements
Information We Collect
We collect only the personal information necessary to provide our services. This may include:
Information you provide directly
- Identity information: Name, surname, ID number (for certain transactions)
- Contact information: Phone number, email address, physical address
- Device information: Make, model, IMEI number, serial number of devices brought in for repair or trade-in
- Payment information: Payment method, transaction reference (we do not store full card numbers)
- Account credentials: Passcodes or PINs shared for testing purposes (retained only during the repair and not recorded in our systems)
- Business information: Company name, VAT number (for TechPartner and HaaS customers)
Information collected automatically
- Website usage data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, time on site (via analytics tools)
- Cookie data: See Section 9 for details
Information we do NOT collect
- We do not collect special personal information (race, ethnicity, health, political views, religion, biometric data) unless strictly required and with your explicit consent
- We do not access or copy photos, messages, documents, or personal app data from devices submitted for repair
How We Use Your Information
PC Vitamins uses your personal information for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Service delivery | Processing repair jobs, managing trade-ins, fulfilling online orders |
| Communication | Notifying you when your repair is complete; providing quotes; following up on enquiries |
| Payment processing | Generating invoices; processing EFTs; liaising with payment providers (Payflex, Float) |
| Legal compliance | Maintaining records as required by tax and consumer protection law |
| Security & fraud prevention | Verifying device ownership; checking against SAPS stolen device databases |
| Business improvement | Analysing service patterns to improve turnaround times and customer experience |
| Marketing (with consent) | Sending special offers, repair tips, and new product announcements via WhatsApp or email — only if you have opted in |
Lawful Basis for Processing
Under POPIA, we process your personal information on one or more of the following grounds:
- Contractual necessity: To fulfil a repair, trade-in, or purchase agreement with you
- Legal obligation: To comply with tax, consumer protection, or other applicable legislation
- Legitimate interest: To prevent fraud and ensure the security of our business and customers
- Consent: For marketing communications and any processing beyond the above purposes
You may withdraw consent for marketing at any time by replying STOP to any WhatsApp message or email, or by contacting us directly.
Storage & Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, and in compliance with applicable law:
| Record Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Job cards and repair records | 3 years from date of service |
| Trade-in records | 3 years from date of transaction |
| Financial / invoice records | 5 years (as required by SARS) |
| Customer contact information | For the duration of the relationship + 2 years |
| Marketing opt-in records | Until opt-out + 1 year |
| Device passcodes shared for repair | Deleted immediately upon repair completion |
Your information is stored securely on South African-based systems and/or reputable cloud services with appropriate data processing agreements in place.
Your Rights under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right of access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Right to correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Right to deletion: Request deletion of your information where we no longer have a lawful reason to retain it
- Right to object: Object to processing of your information for direct marketing at any time
- Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit the use of your information while a dispute is resolved
- Right to data portability: Request your information in a structured, commonly used format
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at info@pcvitamins.co.za. We will respond within 30 days of receiving a valid request.
If you believe your rights have been violated, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at www.justice.gov.za/inforeg or call 012 406 4818.
Security Measures
PC Vitamins implements reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including:
- Secure, password-protected access to customer records
- Encrypted storage for sensitive information
- Restricted staff access — only personnel who need information for their role can access it
- Regular review of our security practices
- Secure data wiping of all traded-in and repaired devices before resale
No system is completely immune to risk. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.
Children's Privacy
PC Vitamins' services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without verifiable parental consent.
If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The Effective Date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly.
For significant changes, we will notify customers via email or our website. Continued use of our services after the updated policy takes effect constitutes acceptance.
Contact & Complaints
For any privacy-related queries or to exercise your data rights, contact our Information Officer:
| Role | Information Officer / Data Privacy Contact |
| info@pcvitamins.co.za | |
| +27 83 552 2912 | |
| Address | Shop U169, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Bedfordview, Germiston, 1401 |
| Information Regulator | www.justice.gov.za/inforeg · 012 406 4818 |